Is there such a thing as a free lunch?

Money doesn't grow on trees.

If you receive a paycheck, chances are you have or will soon be seeing in increase in your take-home pay this month. For some it may be small and for others it will be significant. This additional money is a result of the changes to the tax code for 2018 and is primarily a due the lowering of the tax brackets. Some people will be elated; but, for me, I am just concerned. 

Whether you are a business, the government or an individual, you need money to function. Dollars are continually being passed from one entity to another. Individuals and businesses pass money to the government in the form of taxes in return for services. These services come in many forms such as well maintained roads, safe water to drink, grants and loans to attend college, clean air to breath, medical services in times of need, or a park where people can come to experience history or nature. If less money is being passed to the government, than fewer dollars are available to provide for these services. Over the past year after Washington proposed massive cuts to federal programs such as the State Department (33%),  Environmental Protection Agency (31%), Department of Agriculture (21%), Department of Labor (21%) and Department of Health and Human Services (18%) it became clear through public demonstrations and formal public comments that the vast majority of Americans value and depend upon the services provided by the government. This is also demonstrated by Congress who has not yet passed a 2018 budget, and by their on-going Continuing Resolutions continue to appropriate funding at 2017 levels.

In addition, tragedies such as drinking water contamination in Flint, Michigan; wildfire and mudslides in California, hurricanes in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico make it abundantly clear that the federal government needs to be investing more money in public services, including long overdue upgrades to transportation and utility infrastructure. And, if the federal government is unable to pay for these services, than the expenses will be passed down to states and municipalities, resulting in no savings at all.

Finally, this article in Saturday's Washington Post The U.S. government is set to borrow nearly $1 trillion this year, an 84 percent jump from last year shows that the national debt continues to be a huge problem that will only get worse as a result of the new tax reform law. There truly is no such thing as a "free lunch."